Tomorrow Never Dies
by BlackStar42Roses
Summary: Dino has always been able to see the amount of time a person has left to live. He'd grown used to watching people's life tick away...until he sees Hibari's time. Never before had the apathetic blonde wanted to save a dying man so badly when he finally learned to value the gift of life and look past the inevitable factor of death.
1. Chapter 1

Tomorrow Never Dies KHR

Synopsis: Dino has always been able to see the amount of time a person has left to live. He'd grown used to watching people's life tick away until he sees Hibari's time. Never before had the apathetic blonde wanted to save a dying man so badly when he finally learned to value the gift of life, look past the inevitable factor of death.

Gah, it's summer time already. Hooray! I'll be in Gr.12 next year; holy crapp. I can't believe how quickly the years have gone by…I'm not sure what I'd like to do in the future! ;^; But hopefully, I'll still be writing. I plan to write during the summer. Maybe not so much in my senior year, but…ah, who cares. Hope you guys like this little piece.

And I promise I'll update Now is the Time for Hell soon. I know the excuse 'writer's block' is unbecoming and overused, but I, very honestly, have no idea how to continue it. Asddfghjkl; I'm sorrryyyy.

Title from a song by _The Gazette_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Any similarities in events or characters living or dead are entirely coincidental.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter One: _Non Locum Paenitenda_

He was six years old when Dino first saw it: numbers.

They weren't the digital numbers on the tummy of his robot alarm clock, or the green-tinged digits on the microwave, or even the Arabic formations in his math workbooks, but they were undeniably _numbers_.

They were black, a little transparent, with a smoke-like texture. Or that's how Dino's six year old mind thought of it, given the fact that the numbers faded a little every so often and wavered like a reflection in the water. These numbers were strange, because there were four of them in total, and they were always counting down. They always appeared over the head of a person, who was always unaware of its existence. Dino once pointed it out to his father, who blinked, smiled, and told Dino that there was nothing there at all. The little Cavallone had insisted, but the adults thought he was just telling a story. Dino didn't think he was telling a story. Those numbers were real, after all.

They were always there.

Always counting down.

And the first time Dino watched all four digits drop to zero, it was over the head of a man who was crossing the street, and was struck by a speeding truck. Dino watched in horror as the body was sucked under the thick rubber wheels, limbs twisting into angles that limbs weren't supposed to twist into, and everything go still. His aunt had screamed, covered his eyes and tore him away from the scene of the accident, but not before Dino saw the black zeros drift upwards into the sunny sky like smoke escaping a fireplace, dissolving into nothing at all.

He wondered, foolishly, like a six year old would, if it was like 'game over' in the computer games he played sometimes. Dino shrugged it off and had followed his aunt down the street, thinking about ice cream after supper.

As he got a little older, the blonde noticed that not everybody had numbers on over their head. The longest digit he had ever seen was over the head of a kindly old lady who gave him candy when he went shopping with his mom. Dino told her to be careful crossing the road.

Sometimes, he'd see numbers over the head of people walking in the street, in a restaurant, or by the movie theaters. But he'd never seen an accident with them. Nor had he ever seen anybody else's numbers drop down to zero ever again. After a while, the memory of the man and the truck faded away like a bad nightmare would, and Dino lived on, happily, care freely. However, nightmares like to return, regardless of one's desire to have one.

When Dino was thirteen, he walked downstairs one morning to see his mother smiling at him, scrambling eggs on the frying pan with four smoky numbers steadily counting down over her head.

* * *

He told his father again.

Cavallone senior had frowned, recalling a six year old Dino telling him about numbers, but told him not to worry about it. He convinced himself that it was simply the strange talk of preteens, or a joke Dino was trying to tell him. Dino had gone off to school, worried for his mother, but didn't take it to heart. So, when the blonde had arrived home around three o' clock, he didn't expect to see his front door broken down, and his mom lying in the middle of a ransacked living room, bleeding profusely from the stomach.

Dino had screamed; dropped whatever he was holding, and had run to his mother, panicked, terrified, and unsure of what to do. Cue Cavallone senior running in from the front door seconds later, the look of utmost horror etched upon the face Dino once saw warm smiles and kind looks on. He wasn't sure what he was trying to do, given the fact that he was only a kid and the memory was still hazy in his mind, but Dino recalled, grabbing his mother's hand, tears falling thick and fast out of his azure blue eyes, and had sobbed out, "Mom! Mom! Don't die mom, don't die! Come back! I'll give my life for you! You can take some of my time! Mom! Don't go, mom, don't go!"

And then, mysteriously, miraculously, the numbers that had been nearing zero over his mother's head stopped…and began to reverse.

Dino and his father watched in astonishment as the wound on his mother's torso began close up, the gashes on her blouse began to knit themselves together, and her eyes started to fluttered weakly, mouth gasping a little as she regained consciousness. The numbers increased, faster and faster, until they faded away completely. Dino blinked, staring, shocked. What had happened?

But then, he felt it. A painful stab to his back. Dino choked on his breath, and then clutched his neck, feeling as though his windpipe was being squeezed shut. His limbs burned, his hands felt like someone was ripping his bones apart, his muscles felt like the tendons were being cut. Oddly enough, his school uniform felt constricting on his body, tie strangling his already contracting throat, and his feet were agony in shoes that seemed to be five sizes too small…

"Dino," his father stuttered, staring at his son. "What in the name of god…?"

Dino unwound his tie, staggering to his feet unsteadily, and—wait, since when did the couch in the corner of the room get so small? Now that he was thinking of it, did his living room shrink as well? Dino gulped in air as he rubbed his neck, kicking off his shoes, completely bemused as to why they suddenly didn't fit anymore.

"Dino," his father started again, clutching his wife's hand as he stared helplessly up at the blonde.

"What, dad?" Dino asked, but jumped, startled by how deep his own voice sounded to him. What on earth?

Dino took a step back, and at that moment, he caught sight of him reflection in the polished mirror hanging in the hallway next to the coat rack. All of a sudden, the tiny uniform, strangling tie, and shrinking shoes all made sense.

Dino was _older_. He was taller, shoulders broader, hands larger. His face had suddenly lost all its baby fat, and his jaw was angular, his eyes narrower, and the slightest hint of stubble on his chin. Starting at the stranger in the mirror, Dino advanced slowly on his reflection, touching his face, jaw hanging open. He wasn't thirteen anymore. He looked like a _sixteen year old teenager_.

"How?" he stammered, stunned. "How did this happen?"

There was a long, long silence in the Cavallone family home that day. Mrs. Cavallone was lying on her back, recovering from the near-death experience she barely escaped from, Cavallone senior was sitting on his knees in shock at the events he'd just witnessed, and Dino remained frozen in front of the mirror, knowing—but denying—that deep down inside, he knew where three years of his own life had been transferred to.

On the lush carpet of the living room, Mrs. Cavallone took a tired, long-drawn breath of renewed life.

* * *

Dino moved away from Italy after that.

It was to be expected; there was no possible way anyone could explain how he grew three years older in a span of three seconds, so his father withdrew him from school, put out the story that his mother's injury and the robbery in their home had traumatized Dino, and sent him to a school in Japan. Knowing that it would be lonely for his son to be on his own, his father had arranged for him to stay with a family friend: Sawada Iemitsu. Dino had been incredibly awkward and clumsy in his new surroundings given the fact that he was completely unused to Japanese culture, but Iemitsu spoke Italian, his wife, Nana, was as warm and loving as his own mother was, and their son, Tsunayoshi, was several years younger than him at age nine but was extremely friendly nonetheless and did not let the language barrier get between the two of them at all. Overall, the Sawadas were a wonderful, kind family who treated Dino like their own son.

So, time progressed, and Dino picked Japanese up fairly quickly. He also became fast friends with another Italian in his school named Romario, who was a year older than him and was living in Japan with his father because of work. Romario introduced him to a couple of other really nice kids, and Dino learned to adapt to his surroundings in no time. Iemitsu left the next year for business abroad, so Dino took about helping Nana with housework and tutoring little Tsuna, who would be entering middle school soon. On his seventeenth birthday, Dino blew half of his allowance from his parents on a complicated, intricate tattoo that now dominated the entire left side of his body. He wasn't sure what made him do it, but for Dino, that was what distinguished him from being a fourteen year old at heart to the appearance of a seventeen year old boy about to turn into a man. Throughout his time in Japan, Dino wondered about his mother. He called daily, to catch up with her and to ease her worries about him being overseas, but couldn't ever bring himself to ask about her health.

_How are you feeling, mom? How've you been, mom? Resting well?_

Dino couldn't. He knew she was living on borrowed time, and like a coward, he hid away from the inevitable truth: that someday, that time would have to be returned. Dino both feared and wondered when.

His answer came on a cold November evening when his father called at eleven in the night. Dino remembered nothing except crying for hours later on in Nana's arms, taking in the warmth and wishing that he could have been there to hold his own mother, the same way he did three years ago, when he was thirteen years old.

* * *

Somewhere along the way, he had a bit of a falling out with his father. Dino supposed it was hard on his old man, after losing his wife and pretty much his son as well. He himself grew busier and busier as he tackled University and several jobs; he was _really_ sixteen now, but had the appearance of a nineteen year old. Dino had struggled with the sudden leap between grades when he first arrived into the country, but with Romario and Nana's help, he caught up in almost no time. He was accepted into a University an hour's drive away in the core of Tokyo, and worked part-time at a book store, a coffee shop, and 24-hour printing station. Dino didn't really know what he wanted to pursue in life. He took Psychology, but quickly switched to Business. After a general lack of interest in that as well, he took one last leap of faith and signed up for Media Studies. That was a fairly good choice because it was a lot more hands-on and a lot less bookwork, something that Dino appreciated. He studied as hard as he worked hard, and eventually moved out of the Sawada residence despite Nana's protests and Tsuna's pleas for 'big brother' to stay a while longer.

It wasn't right to trespass upon their hospitality for such a long time. Besides, they didn't know what still haunts Dino; the numbers that never left him alone. The blonde had grown used to ignoring them. Long gone were the days the painful, startled pangs in his heart would start up because he caught sight of the fluttering indicators of doomsday. He couldn't afford those emotions. If he continued to feel sorry all the time, he'd wear himself down into an old man before he turned thirty.

Several more years passed, and by now, Dino looked like a twenty-five year old, had landed a better paying job at a graphic design hub and could afford a bedframe to go with his mattress in his tiny apartment over the Chinese restaurant near his hometown. Tsuna was in his last year of high school, frantically scraping his abysmal grades together before applying for every University whose application he could get his hands on. Dino was reminded fondly of himself—he even offered to take Tsuna to the universities' presentation dates so he could really see what he was getting himself sucked into.

It was a cold January morning when Dino and Tsuna stumbled out of the city bus and joined the crowd swarming into a local university that specialized in law and politics. Tsuna gulped at the sight of hardcore bookworms pushing their way through the masses to get in, but Dino had laughed and just pulled his 'little brother' along. While the two browsed through pamphlets, sat through presentations and shuffled through all the applications Tsuna wanted to get, Dino saw no fewer than a dozen black numbers jumping out at him from random people in the crowd. He deliberately kept his head down until Tsuna suddenly said, "Hibari-senpai! What are you doing here?"

Dino looked up, initially curious about Tsuna's 'friend', and he froze.

'Hibari-senpai' was a slender young man with a mass of smooth, raven black hair that hung lightly around his thin face and drooped in spikey bangs over his depthless, onyx eyes. He had a permanent scowl fixed on his face, even though he seemed to recognize Tsuna and had walked over. He wore a silvery black jacket and dark jeans with a giant stack of pamphlets tucked under his arm. Dino could barely breathe. It should be illegal for anybody to look so…pretty.

"What are you doing here, herbivore?" Hibari asked, glaring Tsuna down. The tiny brunette withered a little under his senpai's gaze, but offered a tentative smile as he gestured to Dino. "My brother's taking me to university presentations."

Hibari turned to observe the blonde, who felt his knees go a little weak, and promptly stated, "He's not Japanese."

"No, I'm Italian," Dino grinned, scratching the back of his head and bowing. Hibari didn't move. "I'm just a really good friend of the Sawadas. So, you went to school with Tsuna?"

"Stop grinning like that," Hibari said starkly. "You look like a herbivore."

It was fortunate that it took a lot to rile Dino up, and Tsuna looked like the as going to pass out from embarrassment because of Hibari's (obviously) terrible people skills. He hurriedly made better introductions, and Dino learned that Hibari Kyoya was a year older than Tsuna, had attended the same middle and high school, and was currently majoring in criminal law at the said university. And apparently Hibari was here helping out with the presentations because his roommate bailed on the school's activity council last minute and made him fill in instead.

"Well, I guess we'll see you later, Hibari-san," Tsuna said weakly, giving a half wave to the raven as he started to merge through the crowd. Hibari gave a half nod of acknowledgement in reply and was in the midst of elbowing people out of his way when Dino was suddenly struck by a sudden, stupid idea. To this day, he'll never understand why he chose to do it, but he'll never regret it.

"Hibari-san!" Dino shouted, making the raven snap his head around with a murderous glare in his eyes. But Dino didn't stop there, not even when Tsuna let out a gasp of warning.

"Would you like to grab dinner with me sometime?"

He said that in a hall packed with over a hundred people, so Hibari returned the favour by punching Dino so hard he passed out in plain view of the said hundred people. Despite the throbbing pain of his dislocated jaw, Tsuna's shrieks of horror and Hibari's burning rage, Dino supposed there was never a spoken rejection, so he figured his chances were still as good as anybody's.

Which, according to Tsuna as the brunette handed him an ice pack later on, weren't very high.

* * *

So~ Dino met Hibari! I know his childhood's a little morbid, but I think that's why Dino's able to just let things breeze by him so quickly. There's no way he'll be able to lead a relatively 'normal' life if he sees people's doomsday times so often…so I suppose he sorts of ignores it even when he can't. His time in Japan is sort of the childhood he never really had in Italy.

I hope you guys liked the first chapter :') I shan't take too long writing chapter two. Thank you for taking the time to read!

**Non Locum Paenitenda**: No place for repentance (Latin)

-BlackStar


	2. Chapter 2

Tomorrow Never Dies Chapter 2 KHR

Aaaaaand here's Chapter 2! I hope the first chapter wasn't too confusing...I haven't actually looked at this document since I wrote it several days ago... eep. Thanks to everybody who took the time to check out this story :)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Any similarities in events or characters living or dead are entirely coincidental.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Two: _Non Tempus Dubia_

Apparently Hibari had decided that the punch _was_ a rejection, because the next time Dino showed up at the university, he almost got scalding tea thrown into his face until the blonde managed to convince Hibari that he _wasn't_ here to stalk him; he was actually handing in an application for Tsuna. The raven had eyed him most suspiciously for a long moment, before he glared and informed Dino that he was going the wrong way.

Dino, never one to let an opportunity pass by, desperately begged and pleaded until Hibari relented and showed him the way to the administrative building, hissing like an angry cat and stomping through the slush all the way. Once everything was sorted out, Dino wrangled directions out of the university from Hibari and eventually managed to persuade the raven to have lunch with him.

"C'mon," Dino wheedled, watching the cold winter wind ruffle Hibari's hair. "It's my treat. And it won't be fast food either. I'll take you to the sushi shop in Namimori, how does that sound?"

Apparently, that had been the right thing to say, because Hibari eventually caved and bused side by side with Dino back into their hometown. Turns out, it was a former schoolmate of Hibari and Tsuna's whose father owned the shop, so Hibari was familiar with the presence already and immediately became less hostile. Yamamoto Tsuyoshi greeted the familiar faces and ushered them into seats, promising to throw in an extra dish (on the house) to celebrate their temporary return to the little town.

"I love it here," Dino said happily. "I remember coming here after school with Romario on a hot day and getting iced tea. I wonder how Takeshi-kun is."

Turns out, Yamamoto Takeshi had gone off to Hokkaido on a baseball scholarship, and wouldn't be heading back until the summer. He chatted with Tsuyoshi while Hibari listened in, his bag sitting on his lap as he drank his tea slowly, steam rising steadily from his cup and into the warm shop. It was extremely comfortable and the two had just finished their lunch when the door opened and a middle-aged man walked in, wiping sleet off his coke-bottle glasses.

"Yoshida-san!" Yamamoto senior grinned, reaching over the counter to clasp the hand of an old friend. "It's been a while! What can I do for you?"

"I'd like to place an order for a party platter," Yoshida said, sounding rather happy. "We're going to have a baby shower soon!"

Tsuyoshi looked delighted. "So the baby's been born! Is it a boy or a girl?"

"A girl," Yoshida replied, rummaging through his wallet for bills while Tsuyoshi wrote down the order. "Saki and Ruki named her Yumiko. You should come by, Yamamoto-san!"

"I think I will," Tsuyoshi grinned, handing his friend a receipt. "Best wishes to your son and his wife."

"Thanks," Yoshida said. "Can't believe I'm a grandfather already. Well, I'll see you soon!"

Dino finished his tea and glanced over at the retreating man when something caught his eye. There were numbers hovering over his head, with only five digits left until zero. The blonde felt his blood run cold in an instant.

"Wait!" he shouted, knocking over his stool in his haste, making Hibari snarl at him. "Wait, Yoshida-san, wait!"

But Yoshida's figure had already vanished into the snow storm outside, where the winds drowned out Dino's frantic calls, but wasn't loud enough to mask the sudden sounds of gunshots.

Tsuyoshi yelled in surprise and Dino froze in horror, but Hibari suddenly leapt out of his seat and pulled out—tonfas? Where did they come from? The raven sprinted out of the sushi shop before Dino could stop him, launching himself out into the street as well. Dino and Tsuyoshi both scrambled over the upturned chairs and ran outside as well.

Snow was falling thick and fast, but they could see quite clearly across the street, where Hibari had gotten his hands on a black-clad figure and was beating the life out of him with his tonfas. Dino was willing to bet that it was the murderer. Lying several feet away, on the sidewalk, was Yoshida. There was a _lot_ of blood, all of which stood out vividly in the white snow. He and Tsuyoshi rushed forwards, stomping through piles of slush and battling the heavy winds. But even as the sushi shop master shouted his friend's name and pressed a hand to the bullet wound, Dino could only watch helplessly as the numbers fell from two, to one, and then, zero before dispersing in the wind. Yoshida shuddered, and then stilled.

When Hibari walked over, dragging with him the unconscious body of the assailant, a neutral look on his face, and Tsuyoshi was hanging his head wearily in the cold January afternoon, all Dino could think about was how happy Yoshida sounded talking about his granddaughter, and how little Yumiko would never get to know her own grandfather.

* * *

He felt ill in the weeks to come, and couldn't even bring himself to go to work, so Nana graciously brought Dino back into their home for a bit of time off. The blonde spent most of his time holed up in the guest room, under the blankets, staring off into the distance. The peach coloured wall had never looked so dully appealing before. Hibari was appealing to, if Dino really thought about it, but the raven was far from dull, and he really wasn't in the mood to think about much anyway.

There was a sudden knock on the door, and Tsuna poked his head in hesitantly. "Onii-chan?" he asked softly, using the nickname he used to say as a kid to coax Dino out of his blanket cocoon. "You've got a visitor."

There was a thump, Tsuna squeaked, and the door closed with a sharp snap. "Herbivore," a familiar voice growled. "Why are you hiding under your blankets?"

Oh, hell. Talk of the devil, and he is sure to appear.

Dino wiggled his head out a little, squinting at the raven as he stalked into the room, finding a chair to sit on as he glared at Dino's fetal form on the bed. Dino held the gaze until Hibari's classy combination of a V-neck and a long grey scarf wound around his thin neck proved to be too much, and he dived back under the covers. Hibari growled like a lion and ripped the bundle off the blonde.

"Hibari!" Dino wailed, reaching for his blankets as Hibari continued to drag them out of arm's length. "Give them back, I'm cold!"

"You must be weaker than I thought," Hibari taunted, tossing his blanket into the corner of the room. "Why are you still holed up in your room? You've done nothing interesting since the time you dragged me out to lunch."

"And I'm sure we all know how that ended," Dino muttered, rolling to face the wall. Hibari huffed impatiently.

"The killer was sent by the loan sharks," the raven said suddenly, crossing his arms. "Yoshida had been neglecting payment for _years_ already, which was the only reason why they finally went after him. Not that it gave them any right, by all means. While you were here hibernating like some grass-eating rabbit I beat the all the information out of the assassin and busted up the loan sharks like the herbivore trash they were. Much more productive than hiding indoors all day."

"Good on you," Dino muttered, glowering . "Do you want a pat on the back or something?"

"Sarcasm does not suit you."

"Like you've known me long enough to know."

"Like you've known me long enough to ask me out."

The two scowled at each other until the blonde gave in and mumbled, "Touché. So what do you want? Did you come to mock me?" Personally, Dino probably wouldn't mind the insults so long as he got to stare at Hibari a little longer.

The raven paused for a moment, nonchalantly flicking a bit of lint off his shirt. "I'm curious to know," he said after a second, "_how_ you seemed to know that Yoshida would be walking out to his death. It's not every day I meet someone with fortune telling skills, you know?"

Dino stared. Everything was clear in an instant—the real reason why Hibari was here. He wasn't stupid, even if he acted like he was at times. Hidden, perhaps not so purposefully, between the lines was Hibari's accusation: that Dino was related to the event that defiled Hibari's precious Namimori. Tsuna had informed the blonde of the raven's unusual possessiveness and protectiveness of his little town, and even went through extreme actions to protect it (hence the beating of the assailant). Somehow, Dino concluded that he might be on the receiving end of a tonfa if he didn't come up with a good excuse soon. Just saying.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

"That's not an answer." Strike One.

"What if I told you it was just like fortune telling? That I can tell when a person's going to…die?"

"Sure, and I'm a stuffed walrus." Strike Two. Dino stifled a groan.

"Believe it or not," he snapped, rolling all the way over so that he was staring at the wall. For a foolish second, the blonde almost thought that the raven would walk away and leave him be, but one does not simply snub Hibari Kyoya with their back. With a snarl like a rabid animal, Hibari _leapt_ onto the bed, cutting off Dino's shriek with a tonfa bearing down upon his throat.

"You _will_ tell me what you know," Hibari threatened, "Or you might be predicting your own death soon."

"It's the truth!" Dino shouted crossly; Hibari's face was so close he could count the number of eyelashes and see the glimmers of purple in the jet black orbs. Weird. "Ever since I was small, I could see numbers over people's heads, and when they dropped to zero, the person would die. I saw those numbers over Yoshida's head."

"Are you certain you weren't hallucinating?" Hibari sneered, pressing down even harder, and at that moment, a sort of blinding, white hot anger boiled in Dino's veins. With a burst of newfound strength, he pushed Hibari up and flipped them over, how trapping the raven beneath him. The younger of the two looked extremely annoyed, but a little surprised as well. Dino was willing to bet nobody had ever done that to the raven before.

"Listen," he growled angrily. "I watched those numbers over my _mother's_ head. And I watched them almost fall to zero. You see this face? This body?" he asked, gesturing to all of himself. "It's not natural. Years ago, before my mother died, I made a wish to give some time from my life to her, to prolong her time. And when I did, I lost three years off my life. I'm not actually twenty-five; I'm really just twenty-two. I'm barely older than _you_. I can see when people die. Yoshida's numbers dropped to a zero, so he died too."

Hibari was watching him, his face completely passive, and Dino's heart pounded. It was very hard to keep his mind focused with the raven was pinned under him like that, but the severity of the situation forced Dino's wandering brain to focus.

"That," Hibari started, his voice unreadable, "Is the single most ridiculous, nonsensical, preposterous story you've said to me since I got here—" Dino's blood pressure began to skyrocket again— "and it's probably the most honest thing you've said to me since we _met_. Which was not very long ago either. Now get off me, you oaf, you are fat and heavy and I will not be flattened like a steamrolled strip of land."

"Ah—sorry," Dino apologized, sitting up at once. He scooted away from Hibari, heat rising in his face as he watched the raven sit up as well and yank his scarf off his neck irritably. "You…actually believe me?" he asked hesitantly, biting his lip.

Hibari smirked. "Of course not. I want proof."

Dino stifled a groan. "Proof? How? I can't just go and find someone who's going to die, and you can't see the numbers anyway!"

"Well, figure something out."

"How? You're being ridiculous!"

"I'm not accepting no for an answer," Hibari growled, looking as though he'd like to tonfa Dino in the face again, but instead launched himself off the bed and said simply, "I'll be keeping an eye on you from now on. If there's any funny business, I'll bite you to death."

Dino opened and closed his mouth stupidly several time, completely shocked by Hibari's preposterous demands and the fantasy running amok in his head about all the implications _biting_ could me. Then, Hibari got up and left the room without so much as a backwards glance, and Dino found himself wondering if he'd just made enemies with the most dangerous guy on earth, and if the next dead body in Namimori would be his.

* * *

Hibari was a man of his word—he did end up following Dino everywhere he went. It could be classified as _stalking_, per se, but Dino was rather fond of living and wasn't about to go informing Hibari of the technical term for his tendencies. He managed to get back into the job routine after the weekend passed by, and each day, without a fail, he would look out the window of the office and see the raven leaning against the streetlamp on the sidewalk, munching on a steamed bun or playing with a fluffy yellow bird. Didn't birds migrate south during the winter? Dino decided not to ask.

In a way, it wasn't so bad having Hibari follow him around, because Dino was now at full liberty to go out of his way and eat in various diners, sushi shops and go watch movies, all with Hibari tagging along. He was sort of cheating when it came to asking the stubborn raven out on dates, but Hibari never complained about Dino paying for him or dragging him all over town for no reason, so the blonde just relished in all the time spent with his current love interest.

Things remained low-key for about a month, because really, Dino didn't just run into people with a countdown over their heads. Yes, there was the occasional person who had numbers counting down over their head, but it was nowhere near zero, and Dino wasn't about to go following them around. Stalking was Hibari's thing, not his. But while he didn't harbor after the person, he made sure to tell Hibari every time, even if it did nothing but make the other stare at him with a bland expression on his face, disbelief evident in his features. It was somewhat frustrating, because he had no way of proving himself to the other, and Dino didn't like how Hibari was labeling him a liar. He had a feeling Hibari didn't date liars.

Winter slowly melted into the beginnings of spring, which meant more slush, temperatures that fluctuated madly, and the promise of another year's worth of sakura petals raining beautifully down in the parks. Dino had plans to take Hibari sakura-viewing since the raven seemed to like anything that was traditional-Japanese, but his dating escapades would have to wait until the weather warmed up a little. For example, yesterday had been a gorgeously warm day, but today's temperature had dropped below zero again, meaning that all the melted snow had frozen over into a lot of ice. People were slipping all over the place.

"If only mother nature would make up her mind," Dino said mournfully, tugging his coat tightly around him. Hibari didn't reply; he only stuffed his face closer into his scarf, breath coming out in puffs of white smoke.

"Only herbivores complain, Cavallone."

"But spring is almost here!" Dino whined a little. "I wanted to take you sakura-watching!"

"I'm sure," Hibari sneered as they crossed the road. "Why would I want to go sakura-watching with you?"

"Because I'm such a nice person?" Dino beamed, making Hibari roll his eyes.

"You're a weakling. I don't converse with weaklings."

"Aw, don't be mean, Kyoya," Dino pouted (he'd adapted to the first name basis over time, and although he'd gotten a sound beating the first time he used the raven's name, the other didn't really seem to care anymore). "It'll be fun."

"Che."

They continued down the street in silence after that, Dino humming a tuneless little song as they walked. It was after work hours now, and the streets were teeming with people driving or walking home from work. Dino vaguely wondered what Hibari did for a living, seeing as he wasn't even out of school yet. So immersed was he in his thoughts that Dino didn't even notice Hibari stopping and pulling his cell phone out, a small frown on his face.

"Cavallone."

"Huh?" Dino spun around, nearly slipping on a patch of ice as he did. Hibari was several feet behind him, reading something on his cell.

"There's some herbivore business I need to take care of," he said simply. "We'll part ways here."

"…really? Alright," Dino sighed. "Where are you going?"

"None of your business," Hibari sneered, hailing a cab. "I'll be back on routine tomorrow. Don't try anything funny without me around."

"I'm good as gold," Dino complained, watching a red and white car start to pull over from the hub of traffic. "Well, be careful getting back."

"I don't need you telling me," Hibari retorted.

"Kyoya?"

"_What_, herbivore?"

"Will you go sakura-watching with me? Please?"

Hibari paused for a moment, coal-black eyes raking over Dino's serious expression, as though trying to see past the other's face, as though judging him silently. The taxi pulled up with a squeal of brakes, and Hibari huffed, reaching over to open the car door. Dino beat him to it, and held it open for the raven. Hibari raised an eyebrow, but he ducked into the cab, prompting Dino to shut it behind him. The blonde was about to turn away, bored without his usual companion already, when Hibari suddenly rolled down the window and said sharply, "Cavallone."

Dino turned, surprise evident on his face. Hibari didn't say anything for a second; he had his eyes trained to the ground. Then, he took a breath and said, "If you bring sushi, I'll go," and Dino's heart soared. Breaking out into a huge grin, the blonde nodded at once. "It's a date then!"

"Che," Hibari snapped, winding the window up. "Don't be a fool."

But even his harsh words could not deter Dino's good mood, and he even waved cheerfully as the cab started to pull back out into traffic, merging in with the other cars. In the span of a couple of seconds the vehicle took to wait for the light to change, Dino saw something through the back window of the cab that made his hand freeze in mid-wave, and his heart turn over in terror.

Numbers.

There were black numbers counting down over Hibari's head.

For a moment, Dino couldn't move out of sheer terror and denial as the voice in his head chanted _no no no no no no!_ over and over again. Before he could run up to the cab, the light turned green, and the taxi gunned its way down the street, following the flow of traffic, and it was then that Dino really did shout out "_NO!_", startling several pedestrians as he nearly threw himself onto oncoming traffic.

"Taxi!" Dino bellowed. "Taxi, please! Taxi!"

Another car pulled up next to him, and Dino launched himself into the passenger seat, slamming the door after him.

"Straight ahead," he stammered before the driver could even ask. "Just—drive, just drive!"

The cabbie gave him a weird look, but he floored the gas pedal and zoomed down the street, overtaking several slower vehicles in the process. Dino rolled down the window and craned his neck out, trying to spot Hibari's taxi. Thank goodness those cars were easy to spot; he immediately caught sight of the raven's ride making a turn onto one of the major intersections.

"Left—turn left here!" Dino prompted the driver, who was forced to make a sharp turn along the center lane. They weaved in and out of traffic, and Dino had almost caught up with Hibari's car when the van in front of them pulled to a sudden stop, and he almost face planted into the glove compartment because he wasn't wearing a seatbelt in his haste.

"Damn!" the cabbie cussed, rolling his window down. "Why's the traffic stuck?"

The answer came almost at once in the form of yelling and several gunshots. Screams echoed around the street, and Dino's hair stood on end. What was going on? A robbery? Hijacking? Mafia street wars? Rummaging through his pockets and pulling out a wad of bills, he slapped the money into the driver's hands and opened the door of the cab, keeping his head down as he ran between the cars, trying to find Hibari. There would be no doubt that the raven would come running out the moment he saw any law-breakers. And with those numbers counting down…Dino had a raw, painful hunch that Hibari might just meet his end with the criminals here.

He peered up from behind the trunk of a grey car, and sure enough, Hibari was already running across the street towards the intersection, tonfas in hand, where several black-clothed figures could be seen running away. Dino's heart pounded wildly in his chest.

"Kyoya! Stop!"

Hibari jerked to a halt, clearly surprised, and spun around to face Dino, his face livid and…scared?

"You idiot herbivore, get out of here now—!"

And, before Dino could open his mouth to tell Hibari not to involve himself in a fight, a large white van driving up from behind skidded on the icy pavement, and slammed headlong into Hibari.

Dino's yell of terror was choked up as he went weak-kneed, crumbling to the ground as the van steered to the side, slamming into another car, leaving behind a very bloody and very limp Hibari rolling to a stop on the ground. Dino staggered upright, tripping over his own feet and running into the trunk of another car as he collapsed next to the raven, hardly believing his own eyes.

This was not happening. This could _not_ be happening.

"Kyoya? Kyoya. Talk to me Kyoya, please, say something!"

But Hibari didn't reply, even as Dino heaved him up in his arms, cradling Hibari's head in the crook of his elbow. There was a streak of red running down from Hibari's temple and down his face. Dino could feel the warm wetness seeping from Hibari's back and through his jeans and see the crimson against his pale, shaking palms.

"Kyoya," he whimpered desperately, watching the numbers read single digits. "_Please_, Kyoya."

Hibari was tough. He'd wake up. He'd open his eyes and the numbers would vanish and he'd yell at Dino for touching him.

But the numbers were down to five, and they weren't disappearing. The piercing onyx orbs, always so quick to cast a disapproving look on Dino, didn't open.

"Please!" Dino screamed; he'd never screamed in his whole life before, except maybe when his mother almost died, but that was years ago, and—

—and the stupidest idea _ever_ came crashing down upon him in an instant. Gathering Hibari up in his arms as tightly as he could, Dino pressed his cheek against Hibari's cold forehead, willing with all his might not to lose his nerve, and trying desperately to convince himself that the wetness on his cheeks weren't tears at all.

"Take it," he whispered to whoever was listening. "Whatever's left of it. Take all my time if you need be, but please, please, _please_, just don't let Kyoya die!"

For a moment, nothing happened, but then, the dreadful numbers that had been nearing zero stopped…and began to reverse once again.

Relief swept over Dino like a tidal wave as the blood running down Hibari's face stopped, reversed its tracks, and the limp body in his arms slowly regained some solid structure, chest starting to rise and fall rapidly. A soft groan sounded from Hibari's mouth as the raven twitched, eyelashes fluttering as he tried to blink. The numbers over his head were already vanishing into the late afternoon sky.

"Kyoya," Dino murmured, pressing his lips against Hibari's forehead, releasing a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. The crisis had been adverted…for now. As the raven groaned again and slowly opened his eyes, squinting blearily up at Dino, the blonde smiled weakly down at the man he'd managed to fall in love with, and let the familiar burn in his spine and the aging of his body begin…

* * *

So, in the process of trying to save Hibari from getting shot by the crooks, Dino inevitably _almost_ causes Hibari's death. Ironic, eh? Epilogue next chapter! It's short, I know :') Thank you for taking the time to read!

**Non Tempus Dubia**: No time for doubts (Latin)

-BlackStar


	3. Chapter 3

Tomorrow Never Dies Chapter 3 KHR

So; this is the last chapter :') Thanks for sticking with me so far xD I know this has been one of my shorter stories, but I don't like dragging things out…I kinda learned that when I was writing Welcome to the Grimm Office and The Bureau of Unexpected Tales. But either way, I hope you guys liked it~ And by the way, I wanted the ending to be realistic. It might not be happily ever after, but at least Hibari now knows how much Dino does love him.

Cheers!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Any similarities in events or characters living or dead are entirely coincidental.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Three: _Carpe Diem _

-_Three weeks later_-

The senior's home was noisy for a Sunday, probably because it was the long weekend. Families bustled in and out; parents hand in hand with _their_ elderly parents or children clinging to the arms of their grandfather or grandmother. It was a lively day, which was something Hibari normally avoided at all costs, but today was an exception. He was dressed in a pair of dark jeans, tennis shoes, and wore a blue V-neck under his blazer; casual outdoor wear. The raven swung his car keys in his hand, and slung on his arm was take out from the nearby Chinese restaurant. Dim Sum. Light and easy to eat, and wasn't something overly complicated for stiff fingers.

He took the elevator up, surprised at the amount of ease he felt about this whole expedition. Hibari would've thought he'd be more irritable, or nervous.

Yes, Hibari Kyoya was capable of being worried as well.

He came to a halt on the fifth floor and walked out, double checking the room he was looking for on a slip of paper. His destination was located right at the end of the hall, and with every step he took, Hibari felt his heart beat a little harder. When he placed his hand on the doorknob, he exhaled slowly before reaching up with his other hand to knock.

A quiet "Come in!" sounded from the inside, and Hibari pushed the door open and stepped into the room.

It was small and comfortable, prettily furnished and had an excellent view of the duck pond from the window. The bed was neatly made, and a pile of novels were piled high on the nightstand, many of which had bookmarks poking out from the top.

There was a man currently seated next to the open window, doing a complicated word puzzle in the day's paper. He was thin and tall, his blonde hair thin and wispy, but still had its golden colour and thickness. He was wearing a simple pair of pants and a long sleeved shirt rolled up to the elbows, which exposed the old tattoos on his thin arm. The skin looked papery with age, but the imprints still held its complicated shapes. Often, tattoos lose their appearance and appeal with age, but not for him. Hibari almost smiled at that, but he refrained from doing so, seeing as this man had literally given up his youth for him.

Or rather, his whole _life_.

Dino looked up, apparently curious, and his blue eyes widened when he saw Hibari standing in the doorway. His pen fell to the floor with a clatter, but the blonde made no move to pick it up. He opened his mouth, closed it, and the wrung his hands in shock, not knowing what to do.

"K-_Kyoya_? I- what are you doing here?"

Hibari could almost feel his heart tearing into two at the sound of Dino's voice; it sounded tired and quite literally, aged. The blonde made to stand up, and the raven immediately walked forwards, holding out his hand. Dino shook his head, smiling down at Hibari.

"It's okay, I can handle myself."

Hibari took a step back. His other hand clasped his extended hand discreetly, hiding the slight shaking.

Dino noticed either way, and he chuckled softly, reaching out to pat Hibari on the shoulder. "Don't worry about me, Kyoya. I'm younger than I look."

"How can you _say_ that?" Hibari shot back, staring in shock. "You- you've changed so much, you're living in a senior's home, you can't even care for yourself properly, it's my fault you're like this- _how can you stand to look at me_?"

"Because it's you," Dino said, looking Hibari right in the eye. "Even if I turn into and eighty year old man, quite literally, I'll still love you. Even if you don't love me."

Hibari huffed, and to Dino's surprise, walked forwards and hugged the blonde, careful not to squeeze too tightly. "You're an idiot. A damned, brainless _idiot_, I say."

Dino blinked, and then carefully wrapped his arms around the raven's short frame. Hibari rarely showed such a weak side. It made him happy as well; knowing that somewhere in that stoic, ice-cold personality, there was room for a little emotion and, for the lack of a better word, humanity. Hibari could express his feelings if he wants to too, and it seemed as though he'd finally realized the depth of Dino's love for him.

"What's that?" Dino asked softly when Hibari drew back, eyes looking suspiciously wet. But that might've just been the trick of the light, because the raven blinked, held up the plastic bags, and said simply, "Dim Sum. Do you want to eat it here or…?"

"Outside," Dino said at once, placing his crossword aside with a big smile on his face. He braced himself against the large chair, eyes shutting momentarily as he eased himself up from the seat. Then, standing upright, Dino stretched, inhaling deeply. "Let's go, then. I'm starving."

Hibari made an amused noise, but at the same time, he extended his arm and touched Dino's hand, cautiously, hesitantly. Dino hid a smile, knowing that Hibari would rarely act so shy ever again. Lacing their fingers together, the two made their way out of Dino's room and back down the building through the elevators.

"…Cavallone."

Dino glanced over, curious. "What is it, Kyoya?"

For a second, Hibari's mouth may or may not have quirked up in the first real smile Dino had ever seen on his face, but it was the raven's next words that really made the blonde's spirits soar again.

"As I recall, someone promised to take me sakura-watching. I'm still waiting, by the way."

Dino lowered his gaze, chuckling, barely able to stop the tears from welling up in his eyes. Here he was, an eighty year old man, barely able to stand on his own, and he was going out on a date. Some things just couldn't be predicted.

The sky was a beautiful light blue that day, enhanced by the puffy white clouds floating lazily along in the breeze. The sounds of the ducks quacking in the pond and the rustling of the leaves on the tall oak trees gave the yard a comforting, relaxing atmosphere.

Though neither Hibari nor Dino could see it, the smoky, black numbers continued to count down over Dino's head, one after another, never missing a beat. But for the dark-haired youth and the stooped old man walking hand in hand, side by side, this simple day of peace was all they needed, even if there wasn't much time left…

…because tomorrow never _really_ does die.

* * *

_End_

* * *

I realized Tsuna and his family would probably never really know what happened to Dino unless Hibari told them. Though, somehow, if Tsuna ever asked, I think Hibari _would_ divulge the information. Strange guy :) Thank you so much for taking the time to read! You guys are the best~ -loves you all-

**Carpe Diem**: Seize the day (Latin)

-BlackStar42Roses


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